Frisée endive Grosse Pancalière - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

'Grosse Pancalière' Frisée endive is a productive French summer variety that is particularly heat and drought resistant. It produces generous, full-hearted rosettes of curled, crisp leaves that are naturally self-blanching. Delicious eaten raw in salads or cooked like spinach. Sow from May to August for harvests 3 months later.

Frisée endive is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. It bears the Latin name Cichorium endivia crispum and is also known as curly endive or chicory. Along with escarole, it is a “true” endive as opposed to the a closely related species, Cichorium endivia (examples of which include radicchio, witloof and sugarloaf).

Frisée endive produces rosettes of narrow, frilly-edged leaves. Whilst some varieties are naturally self-blanching, others need to be deprived of light to remove some of their bitterness. Frisée endive is not as cold hardy as wild chicory. In colder regions, provide winter crop covers such as fleece or polythene sheeting. It prefers moderately rich, cool, well-drained soil.

Frisée endive brings a lovely, bitter edge to mixed salads; it is delicious sautéed, braised or cooked in bechamel sauce. Chicory boasts numerous health benefits, including boosting the immune system, easing digestion and reducing inflammation.

Harvesting: pick the leaves as and when required

Storage: chicory greens will keep for a few days in the refrigerator

Good to know: hoeing and weeding around your plants regularly will help keep the weeds in check. Mulching is a great way to keep the soil moist, especially during dry spells.

NB. Organic seeds (in French "AB" for "Agriculture Biologique") are produced from plants that aren't treated with phytosanitary products (insecticides, weed killers). The seeds do not undergo post-harvest treatment. They carry the AB label and are approved by Ecocert, an independent structure.